Beautiful Mess(53)

It was fall break, and school was out for the whole week. Bri and Layla decided to go shopping with Jess and Maddie, and they all got to endure Layla’s five hour dissertation on the wonders of Devon Peterson. Apparently things had gone very well at the party. Bri held her tongue, and let Layla go on as long as she liked. She was obviously smitten with Devon, and Bri was happy for her. Layla deserved to be happy.

There was no dance practice all week, and Bri was extremely grateful. She managed to get caught up on her homework, and also got to spend some quality time with her brothers, which had been lacking since school had started. She was having a perfectly nice, relaxing week, but something was missing. She about smacked herself on the forehead when she realized it was Cole she was missing. It was getting frustratingly difficult fighting her feelings for him, which had been slowly resurfacing since they began spending time together again. Bri kept telling herself that her life would be a lot easier if she didn’t feel anything for him. Unfortunately, her body wasn’t listening.

So on Thursday, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she took a chance and called Cole. She decided to start with something casual, so she asked him if he’d like to go running with her. They had run together a lot last summer, and she missed it. He agreed, and Bri felt excitement stir inside her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

They met at the park, like they used to, and ran the trails for an hour. After they cooled down, Cole walked her to her car.

“This was fun,” he smiled at her. “I’ve missed this. We should do it more often. Especially now that it’s not so hot during the day.”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” she smiled back.

“So, how are you feeling?” He gave her a concerned look.

“Oh, I’m good. I’m fully over the whole Trey thing. Though if he tries anything again, I’ll gladly knee him in the balls!” She tried to joke.

“If he ever tries anything again, I’ll do more than that,” Cole almost growled.

Deciding to change the subject Bri asked, “So, what about you? How are things going? Done any painting lately?” She missed seeing his paintings.

“I’m good, just been busy. Not a lot of painting, mainly because I haven’t had much time. But I’m taking photography this semester, and it’s really helping with my art.”

“That’s great! I’ll have to come by and see what you’re working on sometime. I mean, if that’s okay?” Bri’s cheek flushed as she realized that she’d basically just invited herself over to Cole’s house. What was she doing?

“Definitely! Hey, I have an idea. I’ve got a big photography project I have to work on this weekend. Why don’t you come with me to take some pictures on Saturday? We could maybe even get some dinner after?”

Bri smiled. “Okay, it’s a date! Oh, no!” Her whole face went red as Cole flashed her a victorious smile. “Not that kind of date! I meant the calendar kind of date, not the date kind of date! Oh, man,” Bri dropped her face in her hands. Cole laughed and she looked up. “What?”

“I finally got you all flustered for a change! It’s taken awhile, but it was definitely worth the wait!”

“Whatever,” Bri shook her head and unlocked her car. “Bye, Cole.”

“Bye, Bri. I’ll pick you up on Saturday at 4:00. Don’t forget!” He winked at her and shut her door. He was still smiling as she drove away.

Cole knocked on her door at 4:00 sharp on Saturday, and Bri was waiting for him. She’d been waiting for him the past two days. She couldn’t help her excitement at seeing him. This was so not a good sign.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly as she opened the door. Hot damn! Cole was wearing a body hugging navy blue Tigers Football t-shirt, and her favorite butt hugging jeans. His blue eyes sparkled at her from underneath his worn baseball cap, and her heart started pounding. It was so loud, she hoped he couldn’t hear it. How was she supposed to keep her feelings in check when he looked that good? She was at an instant disadvantage. Pulling herself together, she hollered into the den, “I’m leaving, Dad.”

Connor walked into the entryway.

“Okay. Have a good time, Pumpkin. Hello, Cole.”

Bri’s face heated in embarrassment. Leave it to her dad to bring out the embarrassing nicknames. Cole held back a chuckle as he eyed her.

“Hi, Mr. Donnelly.”

“You two be careful. And Bri, don’t be too late.”

“Okay. Bye!” Bri was out the door before her dad could embarrass her anymore.

“Pumpkin, huh?” Cole teased. “I like it!” He got a mischievous gleam in his eyes.